1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data input system, and more particularly to a data input system which is useful in a data management system such as an address data management system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A data management system such as an address data management system has been widely employed. In an address data management system for a business purpose, for example, data on each person contain many items such as his or her name, name of company, section, post, address of the company, telephone number, etc. Hereinafter, such a set of data on one person is referred as "a personal data set". A personal data set is usually input by using a display means such as a CRT on which a format containing blank columns is displayed. These blank columns correspond respectively to each of the items in the personal data set and are arranged in a predetermined layout pattern. The contents of each item of the data set are written in a column corresponding to the item, by operating a keyboard. When all items of the personal data set have been input, a quit command is input to cease the data input operation, thereby the input data are stored in predetermined locations of a memory and the display is cleared.
In such an address data management system, it is often that a plurality of personal data sets contain the same data. For example, when inputting data on persons who work in the same company, the name and address of the company must be input for each person. In other words, the same contents must be repeatedly input for each personal data set. Hence, a prior art data input system often requires cumbersome repeated key operations, causing the possibility of erroneously inputting data to increase.
Telefacsimile (telefax) apparatus (telecopiers) are widely used today. In most address data management systems, therefore, a telefax number is also input in addition to a telephone number. Usually, the out-of-town exchange number of a telefax number is same as that of the telephone. In such an address data management system, however, the out-of-town exchange number of a telefax number must be input even when the same number has been input as a part of the telephone number. In this way, a conventional data input system has a drawback in that the same data must be input many times.